As Donald Trump’s second presidency begins, Howard University students are looking ahead to what the inauguration means for them and their safety.

The inauguration, set to take place on Jan. 20, was inside of the Capitol building, less than five miles from Howard’s campus. Students, many of whom grew up far from the nation’s capital, were acutely aware of their proximity to this event. Their awareness was heightened as they considered Howard’s open campus policy, where anyone can enter campus unimpeded.

Nia Cocroft, a freshman biology major from Illinois, considered the danger saying, “We saw January 6. I think that things more recently have had a tendency to turn violent and I know a lot of people have very strong emotions right now, so part of me does feel a bit scared to be in [Washington, D.C.] during the inauguration.”

Howard's Department of Public Safety emailed the student body with safety advice ahead of the weekend. The communication alluded to the “visitors” who have come to the city to witness inauguration festivities. General safety tips were re-emphasized, including awareness, carrying identification, and utilizing POM devices and the Bison SAFE App. More pointed advice was also included, such as seeking shelter if necessary and listening to law enforcement’s instructions. 

For Willem Wilson-Elli, a freshman computer science major from Phoenix, Arizona this information did little to convince him about campus safety. “I’d really like to see a bit tighter [restrictions] on who comes through and what’s going on at such a tumultuous time, ” he said. 

The precautions taken for the inauguration in the wider D.C. community is clear. Several roads were closed off as early as the Saturday morning before the inauguration. Military and national security lined the streets approaching the Capitol building, which was barricaded. 

On Jan. 18, the Saturday before the inauguration, thousands of protestors marched to the Lincoln Memorial for the People’s March, originally known as the “Women’s March”, an event that has been held every year since 2017, Trump’s first inauguration year. 

Although protest safety was mentioned in the Public Safety announcement, many Howard students did not share inclinations to protest.

“I want to avoid even any opportunity for something to happen. Seeing the massive influx in people who are coming in, [given] what happened the last time that same influx came in, I’m going to be inside for sure,” Wilson-Ellis said, alluding to the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol by many of Donald Trump’s supporters. 

Instead, several students chose to focus on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which falls on the same day as the inauguration, with some highlighting the irony of the two days coinciding. 

“To see someone [like Trump] become president on MLK Day is really hard,” said Luke Pierre, a first-year honors economics major from Lafayette, Louisiana.

“It’s aggravating to see… what we could’ve had,” Pierre said in reference to Donald Trump’s opponent in the 2024 election, former Vice President Kamala Harris, a Howard graduate who would have been the first Black woman elected president.